Sharjah reseller held in anti-piracy raid

Sharjah Police have charged a man with breach of copyright law following a raid on a company that was suspected of dealing in illegally copied software

Sharjah Police have arrested a man following a raid on a company suspected of selling illegally copied software. The raid uncovered 45 CDs containing pirated software, and two PCs loaded with illegal copies of software. The man has now been charged with breaching copyright laws.

“We applaud the decisive action taken by the Ministry of Information and the Sharjah Police,” said Scott Butler, chief executive officer, Arabian Anti-piracy Alliance. “Such raids send a clear message to those resellers who choose to ignore the local copyright laws and in trade in illegal software. This marks another step forwards in reaching the ultimate goal of a piracy free software market in the UAE.

“For many years, the local authorities and organisations supporting copyright protection have been advising resellers to stop their illicit activities and respect the government’s directives for copyright protection,” Butler added. “Piracy poses a serious threat to the development of a healthy and prosperous IT sector in the country and discourages foreign investors from investing in the local market due to lack of confidence in the infrastructure and corporate ethics.

“When a raid is conducted against a reseller, it seriously damages his reputation and the future of his business. We try to avoid such a scenario by communicating with the resellers, asking them to abide by the law and to legalise their activities. Unfortunately when all attempts fail, the authorities are left with one option and that is to conduct a raid against the illegal entity. The sale, manufacture and use of counterfeit software are against the law, and those found guilty of breaking the law, have to face the consequences,” he concluded.